Saudi Arabia's Terror Challenge

By OLIVIER GUITTA (Middle East Times)Published: February 23, 2009
Saudi Arabia recently released a list of 85 most wanted terrorists. Eighty-three of the individuals are Saudi nationals, the other two are Yemenis. These individuals are suspected of wanting to revive al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, attack oil facilities inside the kingdom and overthrow the monarchy. Because of the nationality of the suspects, the Saudi regime is taking this threat very seriously.

Interestingly out of the 85 men, 14 had been previously detained at Guantanamo Bay and undergone the Saudi rehabilitation program for jihadis.

A telling example is that of Abdullah Thabet, a 34-year-old literature teacher. Thabet was born in a tribal world, in a village in the Assir region near the Yemen border. He wanted to restore the caliphate and views al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden as one of his heroes. Thabet left his family to head into clandestine cells that launched raids against "non-believers."

Inspired by his jihadist years, Thabet wrote a novel entitled "The 20th terrorist." Out of the 19 terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, 15 were Saudi, many of whom came from the Assir area. Thabet wanted to show in his book how so many young Saudis plunged into terrorism. Indeed, in the real world, some of his former companions are or were fighting in Iraq, or clandestinely preparing attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities are realizing the hugeness of the problem. The tipping point came when some of its own citizens joined al-Qaida, determined to overthrow the monarchy. Saudi Deputy Minister of Education and Teaching Mohammed Said Maliss, ordered the removal of certain radical and extremist books from school libraries and education centers. Among these books is one about Sayyed Qutb, one of the most influential Islamist thinkers who serves as a reference to al-Qaida and other Islamist groups. Another book now banned clearly calls for jihad, in the name of Islam.

The second step taken by the regime was the reshuffling of the government that took place on Feb. 14. Most importantly was the replacement of the hardcore Wahhabi Education Minister Abdullah Bin Saleh al-Obaid by prince Faisal bin Abdullah, who is viewed as more moderate.

King Abdullah wants the system reformed, but has to proceed with caution so as not to upset the conservative base. Faisal will have at his disposal huge amount of funds since the education minister gets about one-fourth of the Saudi budget.

King Abdullah also fired the head of the religious police, the Mutawaa which ensures proper application of the Islamic Sharia law. The Mutawaa has often been criticized for its heavy handedness. indeed, the king is cognizant of some of the excesses committed by the religious police and his recent changes in the cabinet reflects his thinking.

The recent moves implemented by the regime are certainly small steps to tackle the problem of extremism in the kingdom. But they are a start.

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Olivier Guitta is an Adjunct Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a foreign affairs and counterterrorism consultant. You can read his latest work at